Comments on: What is the Libertarian Problem? http://georgedonnelly.com/libertarian/what-is-the-libertarian-problem A Left Libertarian Market Anarchist Blog Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:35:52 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: George Donnelly http://georgedonnelly.com/libertarian/what-is-the-libertarian-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-8416 George Donnelly Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:22:50 +0000 http://georgedonnelly.com/?p=1830#comment-8416 The Zero-Aggression Principle is the foundation of the “government does a bad job of protecting rights” claim tho. You don't even get to rights without the ZAP. Thanks for commenting, Sean. :) The Zero-Aggression Principle is the foundation of the “government does a bad job of protecting rights” claim tho. You don’t even get to rights without the ZAP.

Thanks for commenting, Sean. :)

]]> By: Sean Lynch http://georgedonnelly.com/libertarian/what-is-the-libertarian-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-8415 Sean Lynch Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:12:06 +0000 http://georgedonnelly.com/?p=1830#comment-8415 I think "government does a bad job of protecting rights" is a much better argument than "government uses aggression and therefore is bad." In fact, I don't even agree with the latter argument, yet I'm ultra-liberatarian (closest to agorism, though I don't agree with all their ideas). Of course, it doesn't matter what argument you use if you're a policy libertarian, trying to convince people to vote government away. You're not gonna get anything done anyway. Government is not the solution to government, and the only way to reliably limit government is to have a way to reliably swap out the elites periodically. I think “government does a bad job of protecting rights” is a much better argument than “government uses aggression and therefore is bad.” In fact, I don’t even agree with the latter argument, yet I’m ultra-liberatarian (closest to agorism, though I don’t agree with all their ideas).

Of course, it doesn’t matter what argument you use if you’re a policy libertarian, trying to convince people to vote government away. You’re not gonna get anything done anyway. Government is not the solution to government, and the only way to reliably limit government is to have a way to reliably swap out the elites periodically.

]]> By: George Donnelly http://georgedonnelly.com/libertarian/what-is-the-libertarian-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-8414 George Donnelly Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:30:40 +0000 http://georgedonnelly.com/?p=1830#comment-8414 So are you arguing for pacifism? Probably not but someone could be confused if you're just against coercion. After all, self-defense can involve coercion but there's nothing wrong with that. I use aggression as a less obscure synonym of "initiation of force." Thanks for commenting, Alex. :) So are you arguing for pacifism? Probably not but someone could be confused if you’re just against coercion. After all, self-defense can involve coercion but there’s nothing wrong with that.

I use aggression as a less obscure synonym of “initiation of force.”

Thanks for commenting, Alex. :)

]]> By: Alex Ryan http://georgedonnelly.com/libertarian/what-is-the-libertarian-problem/comment-page-1/#comment-8413 Alex Ryan Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:50:01 +0000 http://georgedonnelly.com/?p=1830#comment-8413 You are exactly right. I would go a little further though... To me the word "aggression" means "strong coercion". However, "strong coercion" is but the maturation of the seedling of "mild coercion", and the seed from which all coercion springs is "fear". IMHO ... The root of all evil is the choice to use coercion in response to the impulse of fear. You are exactly right.
I would go a little further though…
To me the word “aggression” means “strong coercion”.
However, “strong coercion” is but the maturation of the seedling of “mild coercion”, and the seed from which all coercion springs is “fear”.
IMHO … The root of all evil is the choice to use coercion in response to the impulse of fear.

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